Hujing Columnar Basalt Introduction
Hujing Islet is the seventh largest island of the Penghu archipelago. Hujing was originally named Haoying and is located on the eastern hill of Hujing, where there is a deep hole formed by the natural collapse of rock layers. This hole produces underground water with sweet quality, leading the locals to call it "Haoying." It is said that one time, a woman from the island, while fetching water with her child from the "Haoying," accidentally dropped her child into the well and the child drowned. To warn against this well that once drowned a child, the villagers renamed it "Hujing," which may also derive from the homophone between "tiger" (虎) and "good" (好) in Minnan Chinese. Hujing Islet's columnar basalt is very similar to that of Tunghsien Islet, featuring spectacular columnar basalt formations arranged along steep cliffs like an entire forest of giant stones, creating an imposing sight. On the grass slopes below the basalt, it is common to see the traces of goats, painting a rare and beautiful scene combined with the magnificent columnar basalt. Due to its grand columnar basalt landscape and its location along the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5°, Hujing Islet was selected as one of Taiwan's classic towns in 2020.
